Zaragoza.- The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility together with the Subdelegations of the Government of Guadalajara, Soria and Zaragoza; and in coordination with the competent Traffic Regulation Administrations (General Directorate of Traffic and Civil Traffic Guard) and the concession companies in charge of the conservation of the A-2, has scheduled the realization of a simulation of action of the winter road operation in a snowy situation on the stretch of the A-2 motorway between the kilometric points 139,500 and 304,500.

The stretch is one of the main axes of the State road network, with an average daily intensity of 29,000 vehicles/day and a percentage of heavy vehicles of 30%, so the incidence due to a snowfall is very significant (due to the complexity of the management itself and, in the case of a blockage or cut of the motorway, the affectations to the traffic of travelers and goods that would arise).

Therefore, and with the aim of drawing conclusions to improve and optimize the operation and management of the human resources and means available in the face of an episode of heavy snowfall; from 7:00 am on Thursday, October 16, a snowfall simulation will be carried out that will last until 12:30 am.

Description of the proceedings

The simulation will begin with the sending of notifications of the AEMET of “orange warning” for the forecast of snowfall at 500 meters in the Iberian of Soria and Zaragoza. From that moment, the planned simulation will go through the “green level” start phases of snowfall, “yellow level” restriction to heavy vehicles and, without going through circulation with light vehicle chains (“red level”), the total cut of road by “black level” blocking.

Information will be shown on the variable messaging panels of the affected section and the deployment of snow removal machines will be carried out between the kilometric point 139,500 and 304,500 of the A-2, which will apply preventive treatments of spreading of fluxes in a real way to monitor the proper functioning and digital control of the same.

During the simulation phase of traffic restrictions, Civil Traffic Guard (GCT) patrols and teams from the Conservation Sectors will be positioned at the points where the restrictions would be applied in a real scenario. They will carry out checks and cuts corresponding to the simulated alert level, but without making payments in emergency car parks, thus minimizing traffic problems and guaranteeing road safety.

Winter road campaign 2025-2026

On November 1, the winter road campaign 2025-2026 will begin, which will run until April 30, 2026. One of the most common scenarios on the A-2 motorway is that the snowfall begins in the province of Soria from 800 meters of altitude and that, subsequently, the snow level descends to 500 meters, already affecting the province of Zaragoza. Given that this situation is frequently repeated on a high-capacity road such as the A-2, MITMS, together with the Subdelegations of the Government of Guadalajara, Soria and Zaragoza, has considered it necessary to simulate this scenario and coordinate all the agencies involved in the management of these critical situations.